If you’re gonna make the lives of your workers miserable, you better be prepared to suffer the consequences.

In this story, a mom who’s been through a lot decided to take action after she was denied time to take off time to help out her injured daughter.

Read on and find out what happened.

YOUR WORK HOURS ARE 9:00AM TO 5:00P.M.

“I had been working in law enforcement for a little over a year when this all happened. But it’s one of my favorite ‘malicious compliance’ stories of my working career there.

Early in 2004 – right after Christmas and New Year’s, our family experienced a devastating fire that tore through our house; literally burning the roof off.

How awful!

My youngest daughter, who was home alone at the time (she was 14 then) and who had accidentally started the fire was injured and suffered second and third degree burns on her face, hands, arms and thighs and smoke inhalation.

And so doctors were concerned about how the burns would heal and there were lots of appointments to determine if she would possibly be a candidate for plastic surgery.

I tried to schedule all of her medical appointments early in the morning so that I would just be late for work and not use an entire day. So, two hours tops, here and there.

One particular appointment, the last one before the decision would be made whether to conduct surgery, had been scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on a week day/work day.

I was told that it was the only time available for the doctor/surgeon that was in the emergency room when she was brought in. I trusted him – because he had been there from the beginning and he was reassuring that he was going to take care of my baby.

I asked my boss if it was possible for me to leave ½ hour early, and not take a lunch break (because the hospital was only about 15mins away from where we lived); but that I’d need an additional 15mins to pick her up first.

Wow…

I was told “No. You’re a professional and your work hours are 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. And if I do it for you, then I’d have to do it for everyone.”

Mind you, I always pitched in where ever I was needed… I was a regular Girl Friday; doing accounting, payroll, typing, sorting mail, filing, answering phones…many other things not in my job description…. whatever needed to be done; and without complaint or compensation.

And all before and after; which should have in fact been overtime, my actual work hours.

I said, “Tim, we’re not talking about everyone else; this isn’t me trying to leave early for a concert, to go shopping or to have fun. It’s important. This is about my daughter’s physical and mental health.” (She’s 14, just started high school, and of course worried about scars)

“Sorry, you’ll have to reschedule,” he says.

“Tim,” I said, “did you hear what I just said? This is my daughter’s MEDICAL appointment, you do remember that she was injured in the fire right? This is really important. I can’t get another appointment and this is a ‘can’t miss’ appointment. She may need surgery. It’s only ½ hr. I don’t understand how missing a 1/2hr is going to affect the office and what I do.”

What a jerk!

But he stuck to his guns and denied my request again. I headed straight to the ladies room because I was really upset and in “never let ‘em see you sweat or cry’ mode. “

I returned to the office and sat down to work. I was really quiet the rest of the day; so much so that my immediate supervisor asked several times if I was okay, to which I would reply “Sure. Lots on my mind.”

And there was…. How was I going to get my daughter to her appointment, could her dad possibly take her (but as mom, I felt that I was the one that needed to be there), was she going to need the surgery, did she change her bandages correctly after I left this morning, I wonder what her pain level is at today, could I get another appointment on such short notice, etc.?

And the question of how I was going to screw up his day the way he had screwed up mine?

Mess with my kid’s health?!

She wasn’t gonna stand for this…

Cue malicious compliance….

Normally I would arrive at the office even before 8 am daily and jump right into work. Now, remember he said that my working hours were 9 am to 5 pm?

Well, if that’s what he wanted. Then that’s what he was going to get. Hell, I’m nothing except a loyal employee; only doing what I’m told to do….

There was a computer program connected/networked installed that went directly to the court system that I was the only one that knew how to work (I worked for a law firm previously, so I was familiar) and Tim always asked me to input the needed data that would go directly to the judges; and who Tim had to meet with weekly to discuss.

Some of the judges were tyrants! They did not play with wanting what they wanted, when they wanted it, and you better not make their job more difficult. And they could make your life miserable if they chose to. (At least that’s what I’d heard).

Her boss didn’t appreciate how knowledgeable she was.

The particular program/system was only installed on heads of department computers as there was a lot of confidential and For Your Eyes Only information. Meaning: Tim’s computer – and he had no clue how to work it. And thanks (actually there were never any thanks) to me, he, of course, got kudos from the court system for ‘such detailed information and it never being late.’

And this particular information was expected at the same time daily. Monday through Friday. Every week. All submissions promptly at 8:30 a.m.

It never took me long to input the data. I knew what I was doing and what the courts were looking for. And this is where the malicious compliance came to be.

I literally couldn’t sleep the night before because I had to figure out a way to stick it to him. And right before falling asleep it came to me…. Simple and easy.

I arrived at my stop at approximately 7:48 am and decided ‘this is a good time to actually have some breakfast.’ I’ve got time right? So I stopped at the local restaurant that served a buffet early in the morning.

One of the great things about working in our ‘center city.’ And because I had gotten there quite early and there was a short line, got a take-out tray, loaded it up with my favorites, paid at the counter and then made my way to the office building. By then it was around 8:10 am.

Here it comes…

I sat at my desk, opened the newspaper and began to eat. Not long into my breakfast, out of the corner of my eye I see Tim rush out of his office; a beeline straight for me.

His face and ears were red as beets and he was panting and breathing hard, as if he had been running. He probably had been pacing his office while waiting for me to arrive. Even out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was in panic mode!

Here.We.Go.

“Oh, great, you’re here! There’s a problem, and, and, and, I just got a frantic phone call from the court clerk at Judge So-and-so’s office. He needs the info early today, his docket is overbooked! He was supposed to leave early to start his vacation. Ohhh, this is baaaaaad.”

I didn’t bat an eye and kept reading the newspaper and eating.

“Did you hear me? I really need you to jump on my computer and do your thing! Get that info to Judge So-and-so; his docket is so screwed up, changes need to be made and he requested the amended info be sent now so that he can transfer cases, etc. or he’ll be so upset. ”

LOL.

In my mind I’m saying “No kidding, Sherlock. I guess you’ve got a problem then.” But, I still didn’t budge. I acted as if he wasn’t even talking directly to me. I flip the page in my newspaper and keep reading. “OP!” now raising his voice, “I really need you to get that information processed and forwarded now!”

Me (calm as a cucumber, but pretending to be a little startled): “Oh, good morning Tim. Nice day for it to be winter isn’t it?” I said. I-was-on-my-chill.

His anxiety was so evident, it was hilarious to me. “Um, I guess. But I really need you to get that work in. Like right now.”

By then it was approximately 8:20 am. I calmly and slowly picked up my napkin, proceeded to wipe my hands, pushed back my chair to stand up; (his face is softening and his normal color is returning with a little relief now) while looking at the clock on the wall, and then said with a totally straight face “Oh, sure Tim, I met Judge So-and-so before, he is one of the meanest jerks…. But that’s no problem, I’ll get that important and time sensitive information processed right away….Oh wait, I’m sorry, I work from 9 am to 5 pm. I’ll see you in 40 minutes.”

And then I sat back down, scooped up a nice forkful of potatoes and plopped them into my mouth to keep myself from bursting out into laughter.

Talk about someone being so dumbstruck… Let me give you a visual (imagine an adult Howdy Doody plus a fish and they make a baby); mouth opening and closing and red ears sticking out from his head.

I swear his freckles got darker and stood out more. He.Was.Speechless. But what could he say? And aaaahhhhh, it was priceless and felt so good to me.

What I really wanted to do after I stood up was to dance a jig and stick my tongue out and say ‘nah, nah, nah, nah, nah’ but couldn’t. That would not have been professional!

It all worked out in the end.

By the way, I was able to reschedule the appointment to Saturday morning, my daughter ended up NOT needing plastic surgery, was asked to prom by a senior and has learned to love her scars.

I do know that the court clerk called (yep, I took that call!) sometime around 9:15 am to inquire as to where the information that the judge needed was at? I took my good and sweet time taking the walk to his office and with a straight face said to Tim “the judge’s office is on the line.”

Again, red face, red ears, mouth opening and closing. I stood there an entire minute before he actually picked up the phone. I heard him shut his door as I skipped away, so I don’t know what the conversation amounted to.

I have no idea who submitted the information to the courts that morning or on any mornings after that; as I stopped coming in early. My work hours are 9 am – 5 pm…..

Yes, I’m that momma. Don’t mess with my kids.”

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

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Another individual was impressed.

This reader shared their thoughts.

Another person spoke up.

And this Reddit user had a lot to say.

If you mess with a mom’s kids, there’s gonna be hell to pay!

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.